Technical Operations Manager

AVAY, LLC

Columbus, OH, USA

Published: 6/14/2022

Technology

Full Time

Job Description

Position Summary

AVAY LLC, an R2v3-certified electronics recycling and IT asset disposition company, is seeking an experienced, technically capable Technical Operations Manager to lead and expand our rapidly growing modem, router, and CPE testing and refurbishment operations.

This position will oversee the daily processing of customer-owned networking equipment, including receiving, inventory management, firmware coordination, functional testing, cleaning, refurbishment, packaging, and outbound shipping.

The ideal candidate will combine strong technical knowledge of telecommunications and networking equipment with proven production management and team leadership experience.

As AVAY expands its CPE operations to support approximately 30–50 customers, this manager will be responsible for maintaining strict customer inventory segregation, ensuring equipment is tested to customer-specific requirements, meeting production and shipping schedules, and developing efficient processes that support significant increases in volume.

This is a hands-on leadership position requiring the ability to troubleshoot technical problems, manage multiple production priorities, and coordinate directly with customer engineering teams and AVAY's testing equipment provider, Promptlink.

Key Responsibilities

1. Production Operations & Team Management

Manage daily operations across receiving, sorting, testing, cleaning, refurbishment, packaging, quality control, and shipping.
Supervise, train, schedule, and evaluate production employees, including receiving personnel, test technicians, cleaning personnel, and packaging teams.
Establish daily, weekly, and monthly production goals based on customer commitments and available capacity.
Assign personnel and resources to meet production requirements and shipping deadlines.
Monitor production throughput, labor productivity, equipment utilization, and processing bottlenecks.
Develop staffing plans and workflows to accommodate substantial growth in customer volume.
Implement standardized work instructions, employee training programs, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Maintain a safe, organized, and efficient production environment.

2. Customer Inventory Management & Segregation

Oversee the receipt, identification, tracking, and storage of equipment belonging to approximately 30–50 different customers.
Establish and enforce strict inventory segregation procedures to prevent commingling of customer-owned equipment.
Ensure accurate tracking of equipment by customer, manufacturer, model, serial number, processing status, and inventory location, as required.
Maintain accurate inventory records throughout receiving, testing, cleaning, packaging, storage, and shipping.
Develop physical and system-based inventory controls to prevent customer inventory mix-ups, lost equipment, and shipping errors.
Coordinate inventory reconciliation, cycle counts, and discrepancy investigations.
Ensure customer-specific processing instructions, ownership requirements, and disposition rules are consistently followed.

3. Technical Testing & Promptlink Coordination

Oversee the operation and performance of AVAY's Promptlink modem and router testing systems.
Develop a working knowledge of Promptlink testing software, equipment configurations, test provisions, and reporting capabilities.
Coordinate directly with customer engineering departments to obtain required firmware, configuration specifications, testing criteria, and technical documentation.
Serve as AVAY's primary technical liaison with Promptlink engineers to establish, configure, validate, and maintain customer-specific testing provisions.
Ensure that each customer and equipment model is tested using the correct firmware, test configuration, and acceptance criteria.
Coordinate testing requirements for new manufacturers, equipment models, and customer programs.
Troubleshoot testing failures, firmware incompatibilities, connectivity issues, and equipment configuration problems.
Maintain organized records of approved firmware versions, testing provisions, equipment models, and customer-specific requirements.
Work with Promptlink to improve test efficiency, reduce false failures, and optimize testing procedures.
Validate new testing configurations before releasing equipment for full-scale production.

4. Customer Communication & Program Management

Serve as a key operational and technical contact for customer CPE programs.
Coordinate with customer engineering, operations, logistics, and quality teams.
Review customer requirements, production forecasts, shipping schedules, and processing specifications.
Communicate production status, technical issues, inventory discrepancies, and anticipated delays.
Coordinate the onboarding of new customer programs, including testing setup, firmware acquisition, packaging specifications, and production readiness.
Ensure customer-specific service-level agreements and quality expectations are met.
Support AVAY's sales and management teams with technical evaluations of prospective customer programs.

5. Quality Control & Compliance

Establish and enforce quality control procedures throughout the refurbishment process.
Ensure testing results are accurate, traceable, and associated with the correct customer and equipment.
Develop inspection and verification procedures for tested and packaged products.
Monitor failure rates, retest rates, quality defects, and customer returns.
Investigate recurring production and technical problems and implement corrective actions.
Maintain compliance with applicable AVAY quality, environmental, health, and safety procedures, including R2v3 and ISO management system requirements.
Ensure customer firmware, configuration files, and other proprietary technical information are handled securely and used only as authorized.

6. Packaging, Shipping & Fulfillment

Coordinate daily and weekly outbound shipping schedules for multiple customer programs.
Ensure equipment is cleaned, labeled, packaged, and palletized according to customer-specific requirements.
Maintain controls to prevent incorrect products, firmware configurations, quantities, or customer inventory from being shipped.
Coordinate with warehouse and logistics personnel to ensure timely order fulfillment.
Monitor order accuracy, on-time shipments, and packaging quality.
Develop production schedules that account for incoming equipment, testing capacity, staffing, and customer delivery requirements.

7. Process Improvement & Capacity Expansion

Identify opportunities to increase testing throughput, improve labor efficiency, and reduce processing costs.
Develop standardized workflows for onboarding new customers and equipment models.
Evaluate equipment, software, automation, and staffing needs to support increased production volumes.
Work with management to establish production capacity forecasts and expansion plans.
Recommend investments in additional testing stations, workstations, material handling systems, and supporting infrastructure.
Develop operational reports and key performance indicators to measure department performance.

Required Qualifications

Minimum 5 years of experience in technical production operations, electronics refurbishment, telecommunications equipment testing, or a related field.
Minimum 3 years of supervisory or management experience leading production or technical teams.
Strong technical understanding of cable modems, routers, gateways, and networking equipment.
Familiarity with firmware, device configuration, networking protocols, and functional testing procedures.
Experience managing multiple customer programs with different technical and operational requirements.
Demonstrated ability to manage production schedules, inventory accuracy, and shipping commitments.
Experience troubleshooting technical equipment and coordinating with engineers or technical support teams.
Strong computer skills, including Excel, inventory management systems, and production reporting tools.
Excellent organizational, problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-volume production environment.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with Promptlink or similar automated CPE testing platforms.
Experience in cable telecommunications, broadband equipment refurbishment, or electronics manufacturing.
Familiarity with DOCSIS cable modems, Wi-Fi routers, gateways, and related telecommunications technologies.
Experience working with OEM or customer engineering teams on firmware and test configuration requirements.
Experience with barcode-based inventory management, warehouse management systems, or ERP systems.
Familiarity with R2v3, ISO 9001, or electronics refurbishment quality systems.
Experience developing production dashboards, throughput reporting, and labor efficiency metrics.
Technical degree in electronics, telecommunications, computer networking, engineering technology, or a related discipline preferred. Equivalent hands-on experience will be considered.

Key Performance Indicators

The Technical Operations Manager will be evaluated on:

On-Time Shipping: Percentage of customer orders shipped by the committed date.
Inventory Accuracy: Accurate customer ownership, model identification, quantity, and inventory location.
Customer Segregation: Zero unauthorized mixing or misallocation of customer-owned equipment.
Production Throughput: Units successfully processed per day, week, and month.
Labor Productivity: Units processed per labor hour.
Testing Quality: Test accuracy, retest rates, and avoidable false failures.
Quality Performance: Packaging errors, shipping errors, and customer returns.
New Customer Onboarding: Time required to establish and validate testing procedures for new customer programs.
Equipment Utilization: Testing station availability and operational efficiency.
Safety & Compliance: Adherence to company safety, quality, and environmental procedures.

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will build and maintain a highly organized, scalable CPE operation capable of supporting dozens of customers simultaneously without compromising inventory accuracy, testing quality, or shipping performance.

This individual will become AVAY's internal expert on CPE testing operations, establish strong working relationships with customer engineering departments and Promptlink, and develop a production team capable of supporting continued growth.

The ultimate objective is to create a reliable, efficient, and scalable operation that consistently delivers accurate testing, high-quality refurbished equipment, and on-time customer shipments.

\nCompany Description

AVAY LLC is an electronics refurbishment, testing, and recycling company based in Columbus, Ohio. Since 2014, AVAY has specialized in processing and refurbishing electronic equipment, including routers, modems, remotes, and cables, helping clients recover reusable products and reduce electronic waste. AVAY is committed to quality, environmental responsibility, and workplace safety, holding R2v3 and ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 certifications.